Monday, April 28, 2014

UV protection for your eyes and
the delicate tissue around them is quite important for maintaining eye health
and vision. While we all know not to spend too much time in the sun without
sunscreen for our skin, sometimes we overlook the precautions needed to protect
our eyes from the harmful effects of UV from the sun. Especially during summer months when we spend a great deal of
time outdoors-walking, hiking, swimming-going to the beach-and just enjoying
our community, we need to be reminded to use proper UV eye protection.

UV
Protection & Eye Health

Ultraviolet light (UV) can cause
significant damage to eye health and vision. Exposure to UV has been
linked to many eye problems and in some instances is thought to quicken the
onset of eye diseases such as cataract, age related macular degeneration (AMD),
certain cancers on the delicate skin around the eye, Pterygia-a growth of white
tissue on the surface of the eye-and even Photokeratitis, a type of sunburn of
the cornea.

There are common sense precautions one can take to
avoid UV damage:

Always wear sunglasses that block 100% of UVA and UVB
rays. Sunglasses without UV protection may shade the eyes but actually cause
the pupils to dilate, allowing in even more harmful rays.

Wear a brimmed hat along with sunglasses that block
100% of UVA and UVB rays.

Choose wrap-around sunglasses to protect the eyes and
the skin around the eyes.

Be aware that although some contact lenses may offer
UV protection, they cannot protect the entire eye and the skin around it.

Choose sunglasses made of unbreakable polycarbonate,
especially for children and for those who lead active lifestyles.

Be sure to ask your doctor about the photosensitizing
side effects of any medications that you might take.

Always wear eye protection when using a tanning bed.
According the American Academy of Ophthalmology, tanning beds can produce UV
levels up to 100 times more than the sun, which can cause serious damage to the
external and internal structures of the eye and eyelids.

Today we have wide range of UV protecting eyeglass lenses available
to choose from. Eye protection from UV needs to be complete but doesn’t have to
be overly expensive. High quality sunglassesshould block out 99-100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation. It is also important to have UV protection in everyday eyewear, which is readily available with a number of UV blocking eyeglass lens materials, specialized coatings and photochromic lenses.

Patients visiting Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center can speak with our staff who will be able to provide the proper counseling and fitting of UV protecting lenses and eyewear. These eye care professionals can offer a wide variety of UV blocking lenses, coatings and color changing lenses to keep you safe.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

With the availability of genetic
testing for many diseases, a question patients are beginning to ask is whether
they should have genetic testing for Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). While
the presence of specific genes may indicate a increased for age related macular
degeneration, according to researchers commenting in the January
2013 publication Ophthalmology routine genetic testing to predict the
development of age related macular degeneration (AMD) does not really predict
how a person would respond to Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF)
Inhibitor injections and thus the genetic testing is not recommended. Further,
the downside of routine genetic testing at present is that it can cause
unnecessary anxiety, it can leave patients with promises that are not fulfilled
and it may impact insurability and employability.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Regardless of the sport being played, athletes need to use caution and wear protective eyewear in order to avoid sports eye injury. Tens of thousands of sports and recreation-related eye injuries occur each year. The range of eye injuries can include corneal abrasions, eyelid bruises, retinal detachment and even internal eye bleeding. The most serious risks can result in permanent vision loss along with significant disability. The good news is that 90 percent of serious eye injuries are preventable through use of appropriate protective eyewear.

The risk of eye injury can vary depending on the activity. Patients should be reassured that wearing properly fitted protective eyewear will not harm their performance and it may well save your eye health and vision Make sure the level of eye protection you or others in your family use is appropriate for the type of activity. Regular eyeglasses do not offer proper eye protection. Athletes need to wear appropriate, sport-specific protective eyewear properly fitted by an eye care professional. Lenses made from polycarbonate materials provide the highest level of impact protection; they can withstand a ball or other projectile traveling at 90 miles per hour.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

During your regular eye exam we thoroughly and carefully exam the tiny blood vessels in your Retina-especially for seniors and others who have high blood pressure, other vascular disease and diabetes. For patients with hypertension or high blood one of very important things we can tell from your eye health is you potential risk of stroke. In the past assessment of the signs of hypertensive retinopathy-the retinal vascular condition that results from high blood pressure-has been recommended for determining end organ damage such as kidney and heart problems.

According to researchers reporting in the journal Hypertension there is a clear predictive value of evaluating whether hypertensive retinopathy predicts the long-term risk of stroke in those with hypertension. In this study, participants with hypertension aged 50 to 73 years had gradable retinal photographs, no history of diabetes mellitus, stroke, and coronary heart disease at baseline and data on incident stroke, were included from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. Retinal photographs were assessed for hypertensive retinopathy signs and classified as none, mild, and moderate/severe. Any history of stroke, cerebral infarction or hemorrhagic stroke were identified and confirmed. The results showed that after adjusting for age, sex, blood pressure and other risk factors, persons with moderate hypertensive retinopathy were more likely to have stroke.Even in patients with hypertension on medication with good control of blood pressure, hypertensive retinopathy was related to an increased risk of stroke!

From this study we know that hypertensive retinopathy predicts the long term risk of stroke, independent of blood pressure, even in treated patients with hypertension with good hypertension control. Thus, if you have high blood pressure, it is often important for us to obtain r photographs at your eye examination in order to document and assess hypertensive retinopathy signs that may be useful for assessment of your stroke risk.

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center

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Scott Buck, M.D.

Comprehensive Ophthalmologist, LASIK & Cataract Surgeon Scott Buck, M.D. is the Founder of Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, P.C. Dr. Buck earned his Medical Degree at Indiana University School of Medicine followed by a Residency in Ophthalmology at The Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Buck provides examination, consultation and treatment for eye diseases as well as Laser Eye Surgery such as LASIK Eye Surgery for the correction of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. In addition, Dr. Buck provides implants (IOL) for the correction of astigmatism and near vision after Cataract Surgery. Further, he has a special interest in the diagnosis and treatment of ocular surface problems such as dry eye and dry eye syndrome and takes personal pride in providing patients with help for dry eyes. In addition, Dr. Buck and his staff are committed to helping patients look their best with both non-surgical aesthetic treatments such as BOTOX® Cosmetic and gel fillers such as Restylane® and Perlane, as well as cosmetic eyelid surgery such as Blepharoplasty to help with droopy, puffy or saggy eyelids.